| Geographical Information |
| Map Location |
Europe |
| Geographical Location |
43° 00' North Latitude
25° 00' East Longitude |
| Surface Area |
110,910 sq km |
| Climate |
Temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers |
| Natural Resources |
Bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land |
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| Political Information |
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| Country Name |
Republic of Bulgaria |
| Capital City |
Sofia |
| Government Type |
Parliamentary democracy |
| Administrative Divisions |
28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven,
Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol |
| Independence Day |
3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire) |
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| Demographical Information |
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| Population |
7,450,349 (July 2005 est.) |
| Nationality |
Bulgarian |
| Ethnic Groups |
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001) |
| Religion |
Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998) |
| Languages |
Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown |
| Population Growth Rate |
-0.89% (2005 est.) |
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| Economical Information |
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| Currency |
Lev (BGL) |
| Industries |
Electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel |
| Labor Force |
3.398 million (2004 est.) |
| Labor Force by Sectors |
Agriculture 11%, industry 32.7%, services 56.3% (3rd quarter 2004 est.) |
| Agriculture Products |
Vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets |
| Export Commodities |
Clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels |
| Export Partners |
Italy 13.2%, Germany 11.5%, Turkey 9.7%, Belgium 6.4%, Greece 6.1%, US 5.6%, France 5.1% (2004) |
| Import Commodities |
Machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials |
| Import Partners |
Germany 15.7%, Italy 10.9%, Russia 9%, Greece 8%, Turkey 7.5%, France 4.7%, Austria 4% (2004) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
4,294 km |
| Highways |
37,077 km |
| Pipelines |
Gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2004) |
| Airports |
213 (2004 est.) |
| Ports and Harbors |
Burgas, Varna |
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| Communication |
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| Phone Code |
+359 |
| Internet Abbreviation |
.bg |
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| Other |
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| Short History |
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries,
Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern
Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of
influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process
of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual
integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004. |
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